個 波 士 話 "得" 好 消 息!! 真 係 好 消 息 啦!!! 個 波 士 話 准 我 出 年 去 香 港 學 廣 東 話. 我 勁 開 心 呀! 好 似 美 夢 成 真. When I left the boss' office on Thursday, I felt cautiously optimistic about my time off request and thought that I probably would hear his answer in a few days. Friday afternoon, right after lunch, my phone rang. It was the assistant boss calling me up to her office. As I entered her office, she motioned for me to close the door and then said, "We have decided to approve your request for time off."

It happened just like that--without much drama or fanfare. I didn't expect to receive an answer that quick. As it sunk in, it seemed comical that I had been putting off submitting my request, fearing rejection or problems. The only condition is that, between now and next May, I have to make an extra effort to mentor my colleague K so that she is up to speed on all of the cases and other legal matters that I am working on. That way, K will be able to handle everything in my absence and will learn more of my "tricks of the trade."

Now that I have a green light at work, I can concentrate on applying to school, applying for a visa, and all the other arrangements that I have to make. The next 7 months should be an exciting time for me as the pieces fall into place.  ¶ 8:00 PM